The Suburban Times

A community bulletin board for Western Pierce County.

Ace Hardware and DuPont West Coast Self-Storage Seek Sign Variance

By

DUPONT – The proposed project is for the placement of one Ace Hardware sign and two West Coast Self-Storage signs on the Ace Hardware / West Coast Self-Storage building that exceed City sign code dimension limitations for letter/logo height and overall sign area.  In total, the proposal will require four (4) general variances from DMC 25.116 Sign Code.

The following are the four variances requested:

  1. The proposed location of the Ace Hardware sign is the south building elevation, which will be visible from Interstate 5.  The proposed 48-inch sign letters require a variance to the letter height maximum of 24 inches.
  2. The West Coast Self-Storage sign proposed to be located on the north (facing McNeil Street) building elevation with a 32.64 inch letter height and a 54.95 inch logo height, which exceeds the maximum allowed letter/logo height of 14 inches.
  3. The West Coast Self-Storage sign proposed to be located on the west (facing Center Drive) building elevation with a 32.64 inch letter height and a 54.95 inch logo height, which exceeds the maximum allowed letter/logo height of 14 inches.
  4. The north elevation (McNeil St) sign will also require a variance for the total area of the sign.  The proposed area is 99.63 square feet, which exceeds the maximum allowed by City code of 80 square feet.

Project Location:  1585 McNeil Street, City of DuPont, WA.  Tax Parcel number 3000810032 in Section 35, Township 19N and Range 01E.

Project Applicant: George D. Bowlds

WCSS DuPont WA LLC

7802 76th Ave NW | Gig Harbor, WA 98335

Environmental Review:  The sign variance proposal is categorically exempt from SEPA Environmental Review, pursuant to WAC 197-11-800(6)(e).

City Permits and Approvals:  Permanent Sign Application (PLNG2019-008) and General Variance Application (PLNG2018-055).

Other Permits and Approvals:  N/A

Required Documents:  Site Plan, building renderings, and proposed sign dimension drawings.

Consistency Evaluation:  The project will be evaluated for consistency with DMC 25.116 Sign Codes and DMC 25.160 – Variances.

Public Comment:  The public may comment on this notice of Type III application by submitting written comments to the City of DuPont by 5 p.m. March 26, 2019.  The City will accept comments on the Type III application up to the time of the Public Hearing.  Copies of all application plans and documents may be viewed at City Hall. The City has scheduled a public hearing for the proposal on March 28, 2019 at approximately 9:00 a.m.  Please submit comments to:

Jeff Wilson, AICP

City of DuPont – Community Development Director

1700 Civic Drive, DuPont, WA 98327(253) 912-5393,jwilson@dupontwa.gov

Comment Due Date: March 26, 2019

Public Hearing Date and Time: March 28, 2019, 9:00 am

Public Hearing Location: DuPont City Hall, Council Chambers, 1700 Civic Drive, DuPont, WA.

Comments

  1. That building is awful and is an eye sore. I cannot believe this beautiful planned community allowed it to be placed in such a center point.

    Please stop and do not allow them to add extra height to this very tall and sad building.
    It makes me worried for the future sale of my home, to see the downtown turned into a storage locker…

  2. No. No. No. No. NO! Just No. The building is sad and awful. Signage would just make it worse. Dupont was a beautiful planned community nicknamed ‘Pleasantville’ by those all around, now people are threatening to turn it into ‘ville’ or WORSE. The proposed urban sprawl aka signage is a blight on this once great community and threatens to kill property values!

  3. The storage facility already stomps all over that intersection’s aesthetics…perhaps the signs could be lit in flashing neon to really capture the whole interstate truckstop motif the city is going for?

  4. DuPont residents are up in arms over this storage facility in downtown not just because of the disproportionate size. Mayor Mike Courts pushed the planning commission and the city council to change the zoning code to allow a storage unit, with an Ace Hardware in part of the space, in the business downtown. He claimed a gas station would come in if they didn’t allow the zoning code change. During the public hearings, it was clear citizens believed the city was violating the city’s comprehensive plan where storage facilities were supposed to be in the industrial zone. The zoning was approved anyway.

    The plot began to thicken when a DuPont resident discovered in early 2018 an LLC filed with WA state stating that the owner of the Ace Hardware was Ted Danek, the former city administrator who resigned in Dec 2018 with a public acknowledgement that he would be running his Ace Hardware.

    Will the storage unit look ok when it is finished? Probably. Is an indoor storage unit needed? Most likely. The building must have cost a fortune to build and it’s hard to believe West Coast Storage would have built it without doing a needs assessment. Does DuPont need an Ace Hardware? Many citizens love it.

    However, DuPont’s current administration is seen to be overly favorable to business development instead of following the comprehensive plan that is filed with the Dept of Commerce and guides development in the city. Did Ted Danek have plans all along to own the Ace Hardware when he shepherded the development along? No-one knows. What is known is that trust in a small town’s government is essential. So, what we are looking at here is a lack of trust in the ethics behind the storage unit.